One Kiss
by Lingua Dii
Summary: It all started with one kiss. Rated T for language.
1. Beginnings

I've had a lot of time to think about this one, so here's hoping it will be better than all the others I've written.

* * *

It is said that opposites attract. While this is true for magnets, some say that it also applies to love. Kyle and Kenny soon proved this to be correct. They were opposites in every conceivable way - Kyle was short, slim, careful, introvert and very studious. Kenny was tall, athletic, reckless, outgoing and intellectually lazy. Neither one of them had ever dreamed such a romance would be possible.  
Like most romances, this one started with a kiss, although it wasn't entirely deliberate. Stan had invited his friends for a sleepover (with some alcohol thrown into the mix, so his friends wouldn't think his idea was childish), which Kyle reluctantly agreed to, thanks to his mother's "advice". Now, the only thing on his mind was that he should've stayed home.

"Dude, I'm **not** doing it!"  
"C'mon, Kyle! It's just a kiss."  
"Stan, that's a stupid dare and you know it! Just pick something else."  
"Yeah, dude. Why did you have to involve me, anyway? Why not Cartman?"  
"Hey! I'm not some fag like you three!"  
"Shut up, fatty, or I'll do it myself!"  
"Bring it on, blondie!"  
"Guys, just shut up! Seriously, you're giving me a headache, and you're gonna wake up my parents... So, Kyle, are you gonna do it or not?"

"_Note to self – stay home next time._"

"...Fine. Whatever."

Kyle stared at the ground for a while before finally grabbing Kenny's head and giving him a big kiss. Stan and Cartman stared at each other in amazement, but their eyes soon found another target – Kenny. He just stood there with a puzzled look on his face, not even noticing Stan and Cartman as he watched Kyle slip into his sleeping bag. One minute he was yelling at Cartman, and the next Kyle was putting his tongue in his mouth. It had all happened so quickly that he didn't even have time to process it.

"_I must be more drunk than I thought._"

Once it became obvious that Kyle wasn't going to talk to them anymore, the other boys followed his example and fell asleep shortly afterward. Kyle, however, couldn't sleep. He kept trying to figure out why had done what he did and, most importantly, how to get Kenny's taste out of his mouth. Unfortunately, he couldn't do either.

"_I hope it's gone in the morning... This sucks. I hate sleepovers. I don't even know what Stan was thinking. Fucking idiot... And what's with that dare? 'Oh, I want you to french kiss Kenny.' We're not little kids anymore!_"

Kyle tried to distract himself by focusing on something else. He noticed that the room was fairly warm, even though it was getting late.

"_Must be Cartman's fat ass heating the place up._"

His distraction soon proved useless as Cartman started snoring. The sound dug deep into his ears; it felt like his brain was about to split in two. Kyle moved around in his sleeping bag, trying to block out the irritating noise to no avail. Thankfully, a familiar voice spoke out.

"Kyle?"

"_Great. I woke him up. As if it wasn't bad enough that I kissed him._"

"...Yeah, Kenny?"  
"Sorry, did I wake you?"  
"No... I can't sleep because of... Cartman's snoring."  
"Just try to imagine music. That always helps me fall asleep when my parents are fighting."

"_You just talk about that like it was the most normal thing in the world... I envy your fortitude, Kenny._"

"...Thanks for the tip... And I'm sorry about-"  
"It's OK. Stan just had one too many beers, if you ask me."

"_Why didn't you say something earlier?_"

"I-I guess..."  
"...Well, I'm going back to sleep."  
"Good night."

* * *

The following morning, Kenny woke up with Stan's mom's voice, telling them that breakfast was ready. He yawned and stretched his arms, but the room was so cold (since Cartman had left it hours ago) that he didn't want to leave the sleeping bag. Of course, that wasn't a choice he could make. Stan's mom's voice was giving him a splitting headache, which forced him to brave the cold and go downstairs. Hopefully, the sleeping bag would still be warm when he returned.  
Kenny noticed that he had been the last one to get up. Cartman was obviously gone, considering the room's temperature, Stan was on the stairs, but Kyle was nowhere to be seen. Kenny looked around and realized that the bathroom door was closed. He stopped for a few moments and put the pieces together.

"_He must be in there._"

"Kenny, are you coming or not?"  
"What? Oh, right. Yeah, I'm going. Chill."

* * *

Kenny sat down and started looking around as he waited for Kyle. The kitchen was fairly small, and the fact that it was overstuffed only made it seem smaller. There were at least eighteen counters with various small appliances on them that completely covered three of its walls, save for the two spaces that housed the stove and the dishwasher. The fourth wall only had the door, which Kenny thought was weird. Then again, he wasn't much of a designer. In the middle there was a tall granite "table" with four high chairs all around it.

"Aren't you going to eat?"  
"I'm just waiting for Kyle."  
"...Suit yourself."

* * *

Thankfully, Kyle arrived only seconds after Cartman's remark, fully dressed, and everyone finished their breakfast shortly afterward. Kyle took this opportunity to say goodbye to his friends and left as quickly as he could. However, Stan still wanted to talk to him.

"_Make it quick._" thought Kyle as he sighed.

"Kyle, I'm sorry about forcing you to-"  
"Yeah, I know."  
"I guess I was a little drunk."

"_That's an understatement. I don't even understand how you got drunk with so little alcohol, but whatever._"

"Look, let's just forget about it."  
"Alright. See ya later."

"_Not likely._"

* * *

Once Stan went back into his room, he found Kenny and Cartman getting ready to leave.

"You're leaving? Already?"  
"Y-Yeah. I just remembered I had something to do."  
"What about you, Cartman?"  
"Well, since Kenny's leaving, I guess I'm leaving too."  
"Come on, dude!"  
"I'd stay, but you have a lot of cleaning up to do. Good luck with that."

"_I need new friends._"

* * *

A few hours later, Kenny was going door to door, asking if anyone had any odd jobs he could do (for a fee, of course). Unfortunately, nobody wanted to hire him, and the only house left was Kyle's.

"_I didn't want him to see me like this, especially after what happened yesterday, but... I really need the money._"

Kenny knocked on the door, his hands getting increasingly shaky with each knock. Much to his surprise and dislike, Kyle was the one who answered the door. Of course, that just made him even more nervous.

"H-Hey, Kyle."  
"...Hey."  
"Um... Can I talk to your dad?"  
"...Sure. I'll go get him."

Kenny resisted the urge to peek inside the house and instead looked around. Several flowers had bloomed, and some trees he couldn't identify also had little flowers on them that were losing their petals. They almost looked like pink snow flakes. Their scent was also quite pleasant – not even Cartman could deny that. The wind was very mild; almost soothing, the skies were perfectly clear... South Park was truly a beautiful place to live. Aside from the intermittent monster attacks and other strange events, it was actually pretty peaceful most of the time. As he turned his gaze downward, Kenny also noticed something that should help him make a small amount of money.

"Hey, Kenny!"

"_You seem oddly cheerful today. Kyle, on the other hand..._"

"Hey. Uh... Sorry to bother you, but... I need some money, and I was thinking maybe I could mow your lawn or something?"  
"Hm..."

Kyle's dad carefully examined his front yard. The grass wasn't that tall, but it was strangely uneven, as if someone with extremely large square feet had squished parts of it and left the rest intact. Since Kenny was doing all the hard work anyway, there was only one more thing he needed to know.

"How much?"  
"I dunno... 20 bucks an hour?"  
"15."

"_...You're lucky you're my last chance._"

"...Fine. I'll come by tomorrow; is that OK?"  
"Alright. Just talk to Kyle when you get here."

"_Great._"

"Well, I'm going home now. See ya."

Kenny left, feeling slightly annoyed by the fact that he was going to have to do use every cent he had for the game he wanted. At most, he was looking at $30 from mowing Kyle's dad's lawn. That was about half of what he needed. If he put together what he already had, maybe ask his brother for some more, he might be able to buy it.  
Unbeknownst to him, Kyle was staring at him from his bedroom window. He wondered Kenny was doing at his house, but he soon found something else to think about.

* * *

At home, Kenny started to think about what else he could do to get some more money. He already had a little bit, but it was nowhere near enough for the game he wanted. The fact that he was going to be stuck at Kyle's house for a couple of hours just made it worse. After what happened, those hours would feel like an eternity. Even now, just thinking about Kyle made him lose all sense of time. He couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. It felt unlike anything he had felt before, although he ascribed it to the alcohol, as well as several other drugs he had taken before going to Stan's house. However, his thoughts soon turned to something slightly more important, albeit still related to Kyle.

"_What if he tells me to leave because his dad forgot to warn him? If I tell him the truth, he's... Well, I don't really know what he's going to say. But it's probably not gonna be good._"

* * *

Kyle was also thinking about Kenny and the kiss, but his feelings towards it were somewhat different.

"Why can't **you** stay and give him the stupid lawn mower?"  
"Your mother and I have a meeting tomorrow with the principal. Don't you remember Ike's little... incident?"

"_He was just standing up for himself. Besides, who the fuck schedules a meeting on a weekend?_"

"Yes..."  
"Anyways, it's just Kenny! You guys are still friends, right?"

"_Yeah, and now everything tastes like him, which is a lot more disgusting than it sounds... And that's saying something._" thought Kyle as he nodded.

"Alright then. Hey, don't you have homework to do?"  
"No, dad... I already finished it hours ago."  
"Good. Also, don't forget your exam next week."  
"I know."

"_Will you __**ever**__ get off my back about school?_"

After his dad left, Kyle sat down at his desk and opened a small notepad and a book, to study for the exam. Although he had slight feelings of resentment towards his father for making him study so much, he knew that he was just trying to do what was best for him. His high grades were also one of the few things that made him smile nowadays. He had been feeling increasingly empty; completely unaffected by pretty much everything around him. His friends, on the other hand, seemed happier than ever, which just added to his emptiness. Everyone had something to make them happy. Everyone except him.

"_Just try not to think about it... That's what you do with everything else. Just ignore it and hope it will go away. Hm... I'm even more pathetic than I thought._"

* * *

The day went by with both boys thinking about each other, but for different reasons. Kyle was trying to think about something else other than his feelings of worthlessness, which eventually led to Kenny, due to the recent events, whereas Kenny was simply unable to stop thinking about Kyle. Regardless of how much he tried, everything just kept reminding him of Kyle. Even his room was similar to Kyle's. The desk and the bed on opposite sides, the window on the opposite side of the door, the small bookshelf with games... The only difference was that Kyle's room was always kept impeccable, whereas Kenny's was always messy, and had several hiding spots for his many stashes of drugs. Thankfully, that realization finally gave him something to do other than thinking about Kyle.

"_I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to cleaning my room... But I guess it's better than where I was going._"

Kenny was becoming concerned over his apparent obsession with Kyle. He thought Kyle was somewhat cuter than the other boys, but lately his feelings had been shifting more towards an actual crush on his friend. Ever since that stupid dare, he couldn't get Kyle out of his head. He still felt as if Kyle's lips were pressed against his own. He still remembered every detail, even if his sense of time had been completely messed up. Kyle putting his hand on his face; pressing his soft lips against his own... And, of course, the "main event" – when their tongues intertwined. At that moment, time itself appeared to have stood still, and his entire body went haywire. His heart was beating erratically, his muscles twitched uncontrollably, and thoughts about Kyle raced in his mind. Then it ended just as quickly as it began.  
Kenny started to wonder if Kyle liked him, but nothing even remotely indicated that he had any feelings whatsoever for him. If anything, Kyle's feelings toward him (and everyone else) ranged from friendship to minor acknowledgment of his existence. It had been that way for a while.  
Kyle had always been a cheerful guy, but as he grew older, he became more and more distant, until he almost had to be forced to spend time with his friends, **by** his friends. They enjoyed his company, even though he didn't seem to enjoy theirs anymore. Of course, they didn't know that the real reason for that was because being around happy people just made him even more depressed. Seeing what he didn't have anymore – what he **couldn't** have anymore – made him lose all hope. He saw how happy his friends were and became jealous, which he knew he wasn't supposed to feel, which made him sadder. The sadder he felt, the more his friends' happiness affected him, which made the initial feeling of jealousy even worse. It was a vicious cycle that would inevitably destroy him. Kyle wasn't dumb, though. He knew exactly how broken he was. He knew it better than anyone else. He had just given up a long time ago. His will had been shattered over the years, and now the only thing that kept him going was his aversion to suicide. He just couldn't end his own life.


	2. Hate

The reason why this chapter appears to have been written slightly at the same time as the other one is because I didn't know what to call the story. By the time I figured it out, I had already finished this chapter.

* * *

Outside Kyle's house, several petals had gathered on the sidewalk. Kyle watched from his bedroom window as the wind created tiny twisters that became engulfed in these pink and white petals before disappearing. Sometimes two or more merged into one that lasted for a few seconds, but they too vanished without warning. He had made it a habit out of looking at the town from his bedroom window on the many nights he couldn't sleep. It made him feel better, because it made him feel. Nowadays, however, he felt nothing. The gentle breeze caressing his face; the sweet scent of the various flowers that were blooming all over South Park; the movies he watched with his friends... He felt nothing.  
He turned his gaze upward, with tears forming in his eyes, and just stared at the stars. He remembered a time lapse video he had recently watched of the sky. As he sat on the floor, his eyes still fixed on the stars, his thoughts turned to Kenny. He remembered that Kenny's eyes were always the same color as the sky. During the day, they were bright blue, almost like a newborn baby's. At night, however, the fact that his eyes were blue was barely noticeable, and they even reflected the stars and the moon above. It was as if someone had taken a piece of the sky and molded it in order to make Kenny's eyes. Of course, that was an unbelievably ridiculous scenario, but it didn't make them seem any less beautiful. Everything about Kenny was like that. His messy blond hair, his smile... Even his voice had a certain... charm to it. It made Kyle feel better in ways he couldn't describe.  
Kyle didn't notice it, but his tears had been held back, and he was even smiling for the first time in a long time. However, he suddenly realized what he was thinking and snapped.

"_...What the hell am I saying? This is Kenny we're talking about. He's another guy. It's... It's not right._"

With that in mind, Kyle dragged himself back to his bed and lied down. However, he still couldn't sleep. All he could think about was Kenny.

"_Why can't I stop thinking about him? Am I...? ...No. I __**know**__ I'm not gay, so it's got to be something else... I bet it's because of Stan's stupid dare. Yeah, that's got to be it. I can't get him out of my head because he's associated with a bad memory that happened too recently._"

Kyle smiled to himself in relief, having convinced himself that his explanation was true. Thus, with his mind clear, he was able to fall asleep almost immediately.

* * *

"Hey there, Kyle."  
"Kenny?" Kyle groaned.  
"Yeah. You overslept, buddy."  
"H-How did you get in?"  
"I came here just as your parents were leaving. Your dad let me in."

Kyle's eyes were tearing up from the sun shining directly on his face, so Kenny tried covering them. Kyle rubbed his eyes and finally focused on Kenny's face. He was just a few inches above him and smiling, which made Kyle's heart skip a beat.

"U-Um... D-Do you think y-you could...?"  
"What?... Oh, right! Sorry. I was just... The sun-"  
"Y-Yeah, I know."

Kyle was feeling increasingly uncomfortable, seeing as how Kenny wasn't moving. In fact, he seemed to be getting closer.

"_What the fuck are you doing, Kenny?_"

Kyle opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Kenny took this as a hint and locked lips with the smaller boy. Kyle's mind was immediately flooded with thoughts of getting away from Kenny, but his body betrayed him, and instead he put his arms around him, pulling him closer. Kenny took the hint and got on top of him, only breaking the kiss once he was sure he wouldn't fall back down. However, his lips were still only a couple of inches away, and his eyes were focused on Kyle's, whose heart was starting to beat more erratically.

"K-Ken... I-I-I..."

The more Kyle tried to speak, the harder it became to breathe, until he finally gave up. However, he had regained some control over his body and was trying to get Kenny off of him... to no avail. He barely had the strength to lift his arms, much less push Kenny away.  
Kenny didn't seem to notice this and just stroked Kyle's cheek as he stared deeply into his eyes. After a few seconds, Kenny once again joined his lips with Kyle's, sending a jolt through the latter's body. He ran his hand through the green-eyed boy's hair as they kissed passionately and only stopped when Kyle suddenly twitched beneath him.

"What's wrong?"  
"I... W-We can't... N-Not supposed..."

Like before, Kyle's efforts were futile. He had lost all coherency, and he couldn't remember what he was going to say anymore. In fact, he couldn't even move or open his eyes.

"_What the hell's wrong with me?_"

Kenny once again ignored his friend's protests and leaned in against his ear, whispering as softly as he could.

"I love you, Kyle."

With that, Kyle was finally able to gather the strength to try to push Kenny off of him, or at least make him realize that the feeling wasn't mutual, but his arms didn't hit anything. He opened his eyes and realized that he was alone. It had all been a dream.

"_That was... __**the**__ weirdest dream I've ever had._"

Kyle's heart was still beating erratically, and he felt exhausted, so he stayed in bed for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath, until he heard his family drive away.

"_I should... get ready for..._"

Kyle didn't even have enough strength to finish his thought. He simply dragged himself to the bathroom.

* * *

A few hours later, Kenny arrived. Kyle's parents were still out, so he reluctantly showed his friend where the lawnmower was and Kenny got to work. Kyle went back into his room and sat down at his desk, trying to study. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but peek out of the window every few minutes.

"_Kenny... Why do you make me feel this way? Why are you so... so fucking perfect? Fuck! This is all your fault! Why won't you leave me alone?_"

Kyle tried to distance himself from Kenny by running into the bathroom, which he quickly realized was a mistake. As soon as he closed the door behind him, the tears he didn't even realize were there started rolling down his cheeks, and he clutched his chest in pain.

"_Fuck... This is all __**his**__ fault..._"

Kyle stared at himself in the mirror and his anger grew. Not just for Kenny, but for himself as well. He was disgusted by his own thoughts and feelings, and the fact that he was crying only added to his self-loathing.

"_...You're pathetic. Just another self-hating Jew who can't do anything right._"

Kyle clenched his fists as hard as he could and, with a swift punch, shattered the mirror into a thousand pieces. Kenny, who had just finished mowing the lawn, heard the crash and rushed upstairs to see what was wrong.

"Kyle! Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine, Kenny. Just go away."  
"A-Are you sure? It sounded like-"  
"I said I'm fine!"  
"O-Oh..."  
"...I'm sorry. Just... leave me alone."  
"OK... L-Look, I don't mean to bother you, but... I finished mowing the lawn, so..."  
"What? How long has it been since you started?"  
"Um... Two hours, give or take."

"_How the fuck did I not notice that? Well, I guess I should pay him..._"

Kyle reluctantly opened the bathroom door, without even noticing that his hand was bleeding. His short conversation with Kenny had been enough to numb the pain. Kenny, however, immediately noticed the blood dripping from his friend's hand. He also noticed the mirror had been shattered, and quickly connected the dots. However, he thought it'd be better if Kyle didn't know that.

"What happened to your hand?"  
"...It's fine."  
"No, it's not. You're bleeding." said Kenny as he reached for Kyle's hand.  
"It's fine." replied Kyle as he pulled his hand away. "...Look, just drop it."

Kenny noticed Kyle's sudden change of attitude. It made him feel uncomfortable, confused and somewhat angry. He hadn't done anything wrong, as far as he knew.

"What the hell is your problem?"  
"...It's nothing."  
"It's not nothing. You've been acting like a dick all day."  
"Fine. Do you want to know the truth? The truth is that I can't stand being around you."  
"What the fuck did I do?"  
"It's not what you did; it's who you are. You're annoying. You're stupid. You're impulsive. You're just..."  
"...What?"  
"You're too 'you'."

"_And you call __**me**__ stupid._"

"I wish you told me this before, so I wouldn't have wasted your time by hanging out with you."

Kyle pretended to check his hand, but the truth was that he just couldn't look at Kenny whilst lying to him so blatantly. However, Kenny saw through it and regretted saying what he did, even if Kyle deserved it.

"...Look, just give me the money and I'll leave."  
"Gimme a sec to clean up."

* * *

Kenny unwillingly waited for Kyle to get cleaned up and finally got the money he worked for. Kyle still seemed a bit sad, though, so Kenny swallowed his pride and apologized.

"...I'm sorry for what I said, but you're not exactly being fair here. We've known each other since we were kids... I haven't changed."

Kyle didn't react, so Kenny wasn't exactly sure what was going through his mind. He decided to take a chance.

"...D-Do you wanna go to the beach or something? W-We could talk, a-and..."  
"...Just take the money and go."  
"Dammit, Kyle! What the fuck is your problem?"  
"I already told you. Just leave me alone."  
"Right. First I find you with your hand bleeding, and you say it's nothing. Then you complain about the way I am, although we've been friends for over ten years. How about you tell me the truth for once?"  
"...I **hate** you." said Kyle, pronouncing each word slowly to get his point across. "I hate you. That's the truth. Now take the fucking money and leave me alone."  
"Whatever." said Kenny as he took the money from Kyle's hand.

Kenny started walking away, but he turned around for one last comment.

"And you know what? Fuck you. If you don't want to tell me the truth, that's fine. Just don't lie to me. I don't know what your problem is, and, to be honest, I really don't care. You want to be left alone? Fine by me. I'll make sure you never see me again."

Having said that, Kenny left his former friend's house and slammed the door behind him. He glanced at the lawn mower, which was still outside, and shrugged as he went home.

"_Not my problem anymore._"

* * *

Although Kenny was somewhat glad that he got out of there (or maybe he just hadn't thought about the repercussions of what he said), Kyle was once again in tears. He had just ended a friendship for no reason whatsoever. He stared into his best friend's eyes and fed him lie after lie until he left. The pain in his chest returned, but he ignored it. He had to clean up the bathroom and come up with an explanation as to why the mirror was gone.

* * *

Kyle's parents returned almost three hours after Kenny left, which gave him more than enough time to clean the bathroom and the blood that had dripped onto the floor. He told his parents that he had slipped and accidentally threw something at the mirror, which his parents believed. Ike, however, didn't believe it. After his parents finished yelling at him for what he did, he headed towards the stairs, taking his time on the steps so he could pay attention to his surroundings. He noticed some damp spots on the steps themselves, and a semi-fresh drop of blood near the bathroom door. Like Kenny, he was able to deduce that Kyle wasn't telling him the whole truth.  
He knocked on the half-closed door and went inside without waiting for a reply. Kyle was sitting on the bed, so Ike joined him after giving him a short hug.

"Hey, Kyle."  
"...Hey."  
"How're you doing?"  
"I'm fine."  
"Sucks about the mirror, right?"  
"...It's just a mirror."  
"So what happened?"  
"I told you; I slipped."  
"Mom and dad may not pay attention, but I do. Your hand was hurt, and you missed a few drops of blood by the bathroom. What **really** happened?"  
"...Kenny... He pissed me off. I was angry, and I took it out on the mirror. That's all."  
"...He pissed you off while you were in the bathroom? How the fuck did he do that?"  
"He... it's complicate- Look, just leave me alone. I have to study."  
"...You shouldn't study so hard. Take some time for yourself once in a while. I know you don't like to hear it, but we all care about you... Especially me."  
"...Thanks."

The brothers hugged once again and Ike left, although he was still worried about Kyle. Nothing seemed right about his story, but pushing him any further at this point would be a bad idea. He needed to give him some time to calm down.

"_It's always better to talk to someone with a clear head._" he thought. "_Besides, right now he wouldn't tell me anything even if I forced him to._"


	3. Death

As Kenny walked toward his house, he started to wonder how he was supposed to make sure Kyle didn't see him. It's not like he could just become invisible at will. He would just have to keep his eyes open and move away whenever he saw Kyle.

"_This is kinda stupid, but whatever. He said he wanted me to leave him alone, so I'll do it. Fucking asshole..._"

* * *

Once he got home, Kenny lied down on his bed and tried to calm himself down. He didn't want to be angry at Kyle, even though he deserved it. He was once again regretting what he had said and wanted to apologize.

"_I really need to think about what I'm saying __**before**__ I say it... Kyle's probably gonna be pissed if I keep doing this. I'll have to make this one count, but it's not like I can just stop being angry... Wait, I know what to do._"

Kenny's parents were out, so he got some beer from the fridge and started drinking in his bedroom until he was no longer angry at Kyle. However, although he could still think with a lot of alcohol running through his bloodstream, it still numbed his body so much that by the time he got over his anger, he couldn't move.

"_I guess I... should've... seen this..._"

Kenny passed out on the floor, beer spilling from a half-empty bottle onto the floor and being soaked up by his shirt. As soon as Kevin heard the loud thud of his brother's body falling on the floor, he called out to see what was wrong and, since he didn't answer, rushed to see what was wrong. When he found his brother knocked out cold with various empty beer bottles on the ground, he just sighed and went back into his own room.  
Kevin had been a drug addict for a long time, and in spite of his best efforts, he couldn't quit. It wasn't something he wanted for his brother. He had tried to convince him of that several times, but, unfortunately, Kenny didn't seem to care about his own health. Kevin often wondered what Kenny would do if he died from an overdose. Then maybe he would take him seriously. However, that wasn't something he was willing to do. Most people who OD die, and he didn't see any reason to be an exception to the rule. As much as he loved his brother, his fear of death was even greater. Of course, Kenny knew he couldn't die, so it wasn't so much that he didn't care about his life, but the fact that he knew it wouldn't end gave him the freedom to do everything he wanted.  
After years of knowing about it, he had finally accepted it and just tried to have as much fun as possible. To him, that meant trying anything that made him feel good, be it legal or illegal. The latter made everyone worried about him, but he didn't care. The drugs made him feel good, and that's all he needed to know.

* * *

"Hey, cutie."

"_Not this again..._"

"You fell asleep." said Kenny as he moved Kyle's hair away from his eyes. "...Have I ever told you how pretty you are?"  
"...I know you're not real. Why won't you leave me alone?"  
"Of course I'm real..."

Kenny stroked Kyle's cheek, sending shivers down his spine with every passing moment. His very presence was intoxicating. He felt his entire body go numb, save for a slight warm and tingling sensation every time Kenny touched his bare skin.

"I know this is a dream. Why would you lie to me?"  
"I didn't lie. I'm as real as you are... I'll prove it." said Kenny as he moved closer to Kyle.  
"N-No... Don't..."

Kyle's protests were in vain, as Kenny simply locked lips with him like before and drowned out all thoughts of fighting against him.

"Could I do that if I wasn't real?"

Kyle tried to answer, but nothing came out. He was already having trouble opening his eyes, and the only thing he felt were Kenny's soft kisses on his neck and their hands intertwining. Kenny then sat up straight on the edge of the bed, kissed Kyle's hand and left.

"I love you, Kyle." said Kenny before walking out the door.

The sentence echoed in his head, getting louder and more distorted until it was nothing but an unintelligible noise. At that moment, Kyle woke up, still feeling Kenny's lips pressed against his own, and their fingers interlocked with each other. He kept his eyes closed to try to make the sensation last, but it failed. After just a couple of seconds, it vanished, leaving him empty. However, when his thoughts finally caught up to his feelings, he was once again disgusted by himself, and just tried to forget all of it.

"_Why won't you leave me alone? Why can't I... Why can't I stop thinking about you? What the hell is wrong with me?_"

Kyle opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, trying to think of anything except Kenny. He remembered that he had to get ready for school, which was the perfect distraction from his problems.

* * *

Kyle arrived at the school almost an hour after waking up. It was a fairly large school, with several buildings and a small army of students, teachers and staff. It seemed out of place in what some people would consider a small town, but South Park had grown a lot over the years. It had almost 10,000 inhabitants, which was a lot more than what it had just a few decades ago. Everyone was surprised by its rapid increase in population, in spite of the "natural" disasters that befell it every once in a while, but they were also happy to see more people around.  
After taking a brief pause to review his schedule, Kyle's thoughts once again turned to Kenny. He remembered what Kenny had told him before he left, so he looked around, searching for him. True to his word, Kenny was nowhere to be seen.

"_He's probably just late._" Kyle thought. "_He couldn't have been serious about staying away from me._"

However, Kenny was there, although with a massive headache. When he saw Kyle arriving, he moved somewhere he couldn't be seen and just waited for school to start.

"Hey, Kenny... What are you looking at?"  
"It's nothing, Butters. How're you doing?"  
"I'm OK."

Butters noticed that Kenny was preoccupied with something, but he didn't know if he should ask what it was or if he should just remain quiet. After a few minutes of deafening silence, he decided to ask what he was so concerned about. However, as soon as he found a way to phrase it properly, the bell rang.

"...We should go." said Kenny as he speeded away.  
"H-Hey, wait for me!"

"_Since when are you so worried about getting to class early? In fact, why are you even awake? You usually arrive at 11 or something... Well, I guess I won't get my answers for now..._"

* * *

However, Butters didn't see Kenny again. Because he was so busy avoiding Kyle, he also unknowingly avoided being seen by Butters, who always seemed to be hanging out next to Kyle. Butters was oblivious to all of this, although the scenario was as ridiculous as most of the things that happened in South Park, and just tried to enjoy himself.  
Kenny, on the other hand, was starting to realize that aside from Kyle, he didn't really have many friends who liked hanging out with him. The opposite was also true – a lot of his friends were downright annoying, and others were just little pricks. Kenny thought it was strange that he even considered them friends, in spite of all that had happened between them, but it was better than having no friends at all. Nevertheless, now he felt as if he had no friends at all. Unlike Kyle, Kenny only felt that his friends deserved the title when he was alone, with no chance of communicating with them. Being close to them, yet without actually interacting with them, made him feel as lonely as Kyle did when he was actually on his own. Of course, Kyle also felt depressed from being around his friends, but Kenny was unaware of any of that. From what he could tell, Kyle seemed perfectly happy without him.

"_Was Kyle acting like a dick because of me?_" he wondered. "_Every time he was acting strangely I was always around... Maybe... Maybe he just didn't like __**me**__, but... Why didn't he say anything?_"

Kenny took another peek at Kyle. He was smiling. While it made Kenny's heart beat a little faster, it also planted a conclusion in his head that he just couldn't ignore.

"_Maybe it's best if I just... stay away. Besides, I already said I'd do it... It's just how it's gotta be._"

Kenny retreated to a spot that almost nobody went to and sat down on the ground, with tears in his eyes. He could still hear his friends in the distance, laughing and having fun. It made him feel as if his very existence was utterly irrelevant; as if he didn't make a difference to anyone. He started to wonder. If he died tomorrow, who would care? His friends sure wouldn't. If he died and there was a slim chance of getting him back, they didn't move a muscle to try to help him. In fact, other than a couple of sentences, they didn't seem the least bit affected by his death in any occasion.  
When Kenny realized that he was once again thinking of his immortality as a burden, rather than as a gift, he wiped his tears and got back on his feet. He tried to convince himself that it was the best thing that had ever happened to him, since it gave him the freedom to do anything and everything he could imagine. After remembering that fact, he smiled to himself and started to think about what he would do to make himself feel better.

"_When I get home, I'm gonna... I dunno. Maybe some heroin will cheer me up._"

As the bell rang, Kenny took off his hood, exposing his dark blond hair, and went to class.

* * *

A few hours later, Kenny was once again back at his house. Unlike his friends, he still lived in the same house since he was a kid. It seemed that his parents didn't care about improving their situation in the least. Thinking about that made him feel strange. He wasn't angry about that, but he wasn't exactly happy either. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he entered his room and searched for one of his many stashes of drugs. After a few minutes, he injected himself with some heroin, and he was finally able to relax. Unlike with the alcohol, he wasn't used to the way the drugs affected his brain. They were one of the few things that made him relax nowadays.

"_I should... Kyle..._"

Kenny stumbled out of his room, hitting everything along the way and got into his dad's car, intent on apologizing to Kyle. He didn't have a license yet, mostly because he couldn't afford it, but he knew how to drive. Of course, driving with heroin in your system wasn't easy. He swerved all the way and, when he finally arrived at Kyle's, he crashed through the garage door and was thrown through the front of his dad's car, against Kyle's dad's car. Ike was closest to the garage, so he was the first to find Kenny smashed against his dad's car, bleeding and broken.

"KENNY!" yelled the fourteen year-old.

Ike ran for the nearest phone and dialed 911 while Kyle tried to keep Kenny from passing out. Since their parents were away on a date and neither brother knew how to drive, that's all they could do.

"_Ken... Please don't die._" thought Kyle as he fought against the urge to cry.

"Kyle? Dude, I'm... really sorry... about the car."

Kyle was overwhelmed with confusion, guilt and worry, but he tried to ignore all but the worry. Figuring out why Kenny didn't seem to be feeling any pain wasn't nearly as important as the fact itself. Kyle wanted to hold Kenny in his arms, but he knew that anything he did could make it worse, and so he chose to stand next to him until the ambulance came.

"You're gonna be alright, Kenny... Just... don't die... Please..."  
"I-Is he alright?"  
"Ike, go to your room."

"_Kyle..._"

"...Alright."

* * *

Kyle stood beside Kenny, talking to him, keeping him awake. Only a couple of minutes had passed, but to him it seemed like an eternity. After five long, agonizing minutes, the ambulance came. They carefully took Kenny away and left Kyle behind, despite his request to go with them. He decided to follow them on his bike to the hospital.

"_If they're not letting me go with them, they probably think... No. That's not gonna happen. He's going to be alright. He has to be._"

Kyle was trying not to think about it, but, deep down, he knew that Kenny was in pretty bad shape. He knew that the odds of him surviving were slim at best. The tears that he had been holding back since he saw Kenny smashed against his dad's car finally started flowing as he arrived at the hospital. Since the ambulance was a lot faster than any bike, by the time he arrived, Kenny had already undergone several procedures and finally had to be knocked out, because of the pain. Kyle wiped his tears and took a deep breath before going into the room.  
Kenny had a cast on his left leg and arm, as well as several tubes and wires connecting him to a few machines. Some seemed to be filtering his blood, whereas others just seemed to be analyzing how he was doing. His blond hair was still lightly stained with blood – probably because they just couldn't get it off – and his whole face was swollen. Kyle wanted to break into tears again just from looking at him.

"_Dammit, Kenny... What the fuck were you thinking?_"

"Excuse me, are you... Ike Broflovski?"  
"No, Ike is my brother. I'm Kyle."  
"Ike's the one who called 911, right?"  
"Yeah... Is Kenny going to be OK?"  
"...I don't know. We ran some blood tests and he had more heroin in his system than I've ever seen. I'm surprised he didn't OD."

"_Fucking idiot..._"

"When is he going to wake up?"  
"He needs to be asleep for now... He's probably gonna stay that way for a few hours. We took a big risk just putting him under as it is."  
"C-Can I stay here?"

"_Not really, but I can see you're too worried to care._"

"...Sure. I'll be back in a couple of hours to see how he's doing."  
"Thanks!"

Kyle hurried back to Kenny's side and kept wiping his tears away, trying to make certain that nobody saw them. After several wipes, he was finally able to hold them back.

"_Kenny... Please don't die. I can't... I can't lose you._"

Kyle tried to shut out the voice whispering in the back of his head, telling him that Kenny was going to die, but he couldn't. The more tired he became, the louder the voice got, until it was screaming at him. He managed to distract himself by trying to figure out why he was the only one at the hospital. Why hadn't Ike called anyone? Or had he called everyone and they just didn't care? What if they were just too busy? What could be more important than seeing Kenny at the hospital?  
Kyle glanced at Kenny again. He was still sleeping. He approached him and stretched his arm, intent on caressing Kenny's cheek, but got a hold of himself and quickly withdrew it. A few seconds afterward, his friends, except Cartman, arrived. They tried to cheer each other up, but one glance at Kenny and their moods dropped.

* * *

Eventually they moved to the cafeteria and sat there together, trying to keep their spirits up. However, one question was scratching and clawing its way up their brains until, finally, one of them couldn't hold it anymore and said what they were all thinking.

"What if..." said Butters, hesitantly. "What if Kenny... doesn't-"  
"Shut up, Butters."  
"Kyle, I know he's your best friend, but-"  
"I said **shut the fuck up, Butters**. Kenny's going to be fine... Kenny's always fine."

In spite of Kyle's emotional outburst, or perhaps because of it, everyone else became more convinced that maybe Kenny wasn't going to make it. Most of them were already starting to accept it as a fact, while others just hoped for the best, whilst preparing themselves for the most likely scenario. Kyle, however, was in complete denial. Every time a thought even hinting at the possibility that Kenny would die emerged, it was immediately crushed under the weight of a thousand thoughts of denial. Kyle could not and would not accept anything other than Kenny getting back to perfect health.


	4. Alone

Due to the new feature on FF, I'm looking for someone to draw me a few covers (20 for now) and/or suggest what they should be like.

* * *

It was almost 10 PM when Kyle's friends left. Kyle stayed behind, intent on staying with Kenny for as long as he could, but, thankfully, his brother had already planned for that. He had told their mother that Kyle would be staying at a friend's house for the night, which she reluctantly accepted after a long conversation with her husband. When Ike called him to explain the situation, Kyle felt relieved and thanked his brother before rushing back to Kenny's side. Kenny had been asleep for a lot longer than anyone expected, but nobody dared to wake him up. They were afraid that, if they did, Kenny would be in too much pain. Kyle, on the other hand, was just concerned about what he'd say or do if Kenny was awake. However, he still couldn't leave his side. He was convinced that he needed to stay, rather than simply wanting to. When Kenny's doctor saw that Kyle wasn't going to leave, he approached him with an offer.

"Listen... Kyle, is it?"  
"Yeah?"  
"You know, I can probably move Kenny to a new room with a spare bed. You could sleep there if you'd like."  
"Thanks, but... I prefer staying next to him."  
"O-Oh, I didn't realize you were... together."  
"N-No, not like that! I'm not gay, and neither is he. He's my friend. That's all."

"_Right..._"

"I meant that I'd prefer to sit next to his bed until tomorrow, to keep him company... I don't mind staying awake."  
"Alright. But you can't stay here forever. You have to go home tomorrow."  
"... I know."  
"I'm sorry, but your friend needs to rest... Now then, I have to go home. I'll see you tomorrow."  
"Wait... You gotta tell me something... Is he going to make it?"  
"Well, we can't be certain, but he's been stable for a few hours now. It looks like he's going to pull through."

"_I knew it!_" thought Kyle as he smiled.

"Thanks!"

* * *

Kyle hurried back into Kenny's room, with his mind at ease about Kenny's condition. However, that left room for other intrusive thoughts. He started to feel different as soon as he stepped into Kenny's room. His blood rushed in his ears just from looking at him. Thinking about him had a slightly lesser effect, but it was still something he knew he shouldn't be feeling. Kyle repressed them as best as he could, until Kenny finally woke up. He breathed deeply, trying to ignore the pain of his broken bones, and opened his eyes. He couldn't move his head, and he wasn't in his room, so he became frightened.

"...H-Hello?"

"_Was I kidnapped by aliens?_"

"Kenny!"  
"Kyle? What happened?"

"_You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice, Kyle._"

"W-Well, you... you were high, and you crashed into my dad's car... Should've worn your seatbelt."

"_I'm sorry, Kyle..._"

"...How are you doing?"  
"Well, my leg hurts a bit, and I can't move my head. I'm also pretty sure I'm peeing into a bag right now."  
"Yeah... You were pretty beaten up after... But, hey, at least you're alive, right?"

"_If I had died, I wouldn't be like this right now._"

"I guess..."  
"...Does it hurt?"  
"Have you ever had a tube shoved up your dick?"  
"Nope."  
"Well, I'll leave it up to your imagination then."

Kyle thought Kenny was being somewhat rude, but, given the circumstances, it wasn't really unusual.

"H-Hey, this is gonna sound weird, but... could you move somewhere I can see ya? I can't move my head, and it's kinda weird talking to the ceiling."  
"...Y-Yeah, sure."

Kyle stood up and moved next to Kenny, leaning in his direction so that he could be seen. Kenny examined Kyle's face, trying to see if he was hurt, and smiled when he realized that he was fine. Kyle, on the other hand, couldn't stop blushing, which didn't go unnoticed by Kenny. He looked at Kyle again, this time paying attention to everything. His rosy cheeks, his dark, piercing green eyes, his long, red hair, barely escaping from under his hat, like Kenny's own from his hood... Kenny thought that Kyle was the prettiest boy in the entire world.

"_...You're so pretty, Kyle... The way you make me feel is... I think... I... love you. But I know you don't... You can't._"

Kenny's eyes started tearing up from the thoughts that were rattling in his head, until, finally, he could no longer hold back his tears and they rolled down his cheeks, much to Kyle's surprise.

"What's wrong, Kenny? D-Do you want me to call someone?"  
"N-No, I'm fine... I just need some sleep, that's all."  
"Are you sure? You know you're crying, right?"  
"O-Oh, am I? It's probably the meds or m-maybe my face is swollen or something..."

Usually, Kyle wouldn't have bought such an obviously fake excuse, but right now he was so busy repressing his thoughts and feelings that he just didn't have enough brainpower to process what Kenny said.

"Y-Yeah, I guess..."

Kyle moved away, much to Kenny's relief, and both boys were so lost in their own thoughts that they didn't speak again, until Kenny finally fell asleep, almost two hours later. At that moment, Kyle was also overcome with relief and exhaustion, and also fell asleep.

* * *

"Kyle..."

"_No... Not again..._"

"Wake up, Kyle..."  
"What do you want?"  
"I want **you**, Kyle... That's all I've ever wanted."  
"I can't... I can't deal with this right now..."

"_Dammit, why won't you leave me alone?_"

"Come on, Kyle. Walk with me." said Kenny as he extended his arm to Kyle.  
"...Fine."

Kyle hesitantly took Kenny's hand, and they were transported to an unending field of flowers.

"What do you think?"  
"...Flowers? Seriously? You can do better than that."  
"C'mon... You know you like flowers. If you want, I can take you to a romantic dinner. What do you think?"  
"N-No... I just..."

Kyle was once again starting to feel drowsy and exhausted, and just wanted to fall asleep.

"I... I don't feel..."

Kyle would've collapsed on the ground, if not for Kenny, who put his arms around him.

"I got ya, Kyle... You're safe with me."  
"K-Ken..."  
"I'll never let anything bad happen to you, Kyle... I love you."

Kenny placed his left arm just above Kyle's hip, pulling him closer, and, in one swift move, joined his lips with Kyle's. Kyle held on to him for as long as he could, trying to make it last for as long as possible, but nothing lasts forever. A few seconds afterward, Kenny's lips slowly moved away, still somewhat clinging to Kyle's, as if being pulled by them, and Kenny vanished. Kyle fell onto the field and finally woke up, aggravated by the recurring theme of his dreams.

"_I can't keep doing this..._"

Kyle got up and looked at Kenny for a long time, struggling with the decision ahead. He had to get away from him. There was simply no other choice. He looked around, realizing that this area of the hospital had been made with the express purpose of keeping patients asleep. The windows and doors, while made of glass, were completely covered.  
Kyle turned his gaze downward again. All he could think about was how cute Kenny looked when he was sleeping. If it weren't for his blood-stained hair, the casts on his broken arm and leg and the hospital setting, this would've been a perfect situation.  
Finally, after a very long time, Kyle gave in, gently kissing Kenny on the forehead before leaving.

"_I'm so sorry Kenny... I... I..._"

Just like with Kenny's situation, Kyle was in denial about his own feelings. Every time he came close to admitting to himself what he felt, his thoughts were crushed. Kyle's mind always caught up with his train of thought, and he simply pushed everyone and everything away until he felt safe again. Now he couldn't push Kenny away, but he could leave him. It was a hard decision to make, and even harder once he actually tried. Every step made him disgusted by himself. He was about to walk out on his friend, who had barely survived a major car crash, all because he couldn't stand the effects that he was having on him. As he stared at the hospital's main entrance, Kyle felt himself being pulled back. He turned around, but there was nobody there. However, the pulling sensation continued. He struggled against it, taking small steps toward the main entrance, and finally, when he was one step away from leaving, it stopped, and so did he.

"_...The first step is always the hardest._"

Kyle took that first step, trying to focus on the fact that it was one step closer to home, rather than one step away from Kenny. It didn't feel right, leaving Kenny like that, but it was his only choice. He couldn't stand being around him, and he couldn't stand seeing him hurt. He didn't want to leave. He needed it.

* * *

Once Kyle got home, he tried to come up with an explanation for his mother as to why he wasn't spending the night at a friend's house, but he was so exhausted that he decided to postpone that until he had had time to rest. He stripped down to his underwear and just fell onto his bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

When Kenny woke up the next day, he called out to Kyle, but received only silence in response.

"_Maybe he went to the bathroom or something._"

A few minutes passed, and Kenny grew concerned. What if Kyle was hurt? Thousands of scenarios started flying through his brain, each of them ending with Kyle hurt, or worse. He blinked uncontrollably and started looking around nervously, until he yelled at the top of his lungs, which wasn't very loud, since he was still in pain, for a nurse, who rushed into the room as soon as she heard it.

"What is it? What's wrong?"  
"Where's Kyle? What happened to him?"

"_Seriously? You sounded like you were dying!_"

"Y-Your friend left last night."  
"...No, Kyle wouldn't... He would've told me!"  
"Well, clearly he didn't. What do you want me to do about it?"  
"...I'm sorry. Can you just..."  
"Sure."

The nurse left Kenny's room just in time to avoid seeing Kenny cry. He didn't know that many of his friends had come to visit; only Kyle. Without him, Kenny thought that nobody cared.

"_Kyle... Dammit, I don't know if it's worse having you here or this._"

Kenny sobbed softly at first, then stopped as the pain of his bruised ribs started registering in his brain. His overreaction to his own thoughts was now making it hard to breathe. He calmed himself down, breathing more slowly each time, until the pain finally subsided. He tried to move his good arm to wipe his face, but he didn't even have the energy to do that.

"_Kyle left me; the others didn't even come to check if I was OK... I really am pathetic._"

As Kenny went deeper into his own thoughts, his feeling of worthlessness became stronger. As far as he knew, only Kyle had come to visit him, and then he left without saying anything. No explanation. Nothing. The only friend who had shown any interest in his critical condition had left him. The others couldn't even be bothered to come. Kenny was starting to feel as if his existence was pointless. At a certain point, all his thoughts led to the same thing – he wanted to die. He briefly wondered if he'd be able to die of old age, or if he'd just be brought back to life and became so old that he was stuck in an infinite loop of death and rebirth until the end of time, without even being aware of it. However, he quickly repressed that thought, as it was too horrible to even consider.  
Kenny desperately tried to hold on to anything except his renewed feelings of worthlessness, but he couldn't. Instead, he chose to analyze his life, starting with when he met Kyle.

"_I don't have anything else to do... Might as well do something productive with my time... It's what Kyle would've done... I hope he's alright._"

Kenny was right for once. Kyle was safe, for the moment. He had been sleeping for quite some time, and now he was late for school. As he tried to get ready all at once, Kenny started to remember what had happened when he first met Kyle. His memories were fuzzy at best, but all the important bits were there. He remembered thinking that Kyle was a girl, due to his long and curly hair. He remembered that he was the first person he had ever shown his face to. It seemed silly now, but, back then, Kenny was every bit as shy as Kyle. Even then, Kyle made his heart beat faster. He didn't have the words to describe it when he was little, but now he knew why.

"_I guess I've always had a thing for him..._"

Kenny skipped forward a few years, to the time when the world was almost destroyed by Satan. He wished for everything to go back to normal, even if it meant going to hell. He had never told anyone, but the only thing on his mind at that moment was that he was doing it for Kyle. However, as it turned out, Kenny was revived once again. It was the first time he felt happy about being revived.

"_He always made everything seem better, even when he wasn't there..._"

Kenny skipped forward again, oblivious to the fact that he was just focusing on important moments related to Kyle. He remembered the first time he went into a deep depression because of everything that was wrong with his life, and Kyle was there for him.

"_Kyle has always been here for me... But now he left me... I'm alone._"

* * *

The final chapter is almost done. I was going to write it with this one, but then I realized that it was long enough to split in two.


	5. Love

As Kenny tried to figure out why Kyle had left him, Kyle arrived at the school. He rushed into his classroom and apologized for the delay while sitting down. After a few minutes of paying attention to a boring lecture on digestion, Kyle glanced around the room and became fixated on Kenny's seat. This was the one class they shared nowadays, and he wasn't there. He was still at the hospital, where he should be. Yet he was alone, and it was all Kyle's fault. Regret washed over him once again, forcing him to focus on anything except Kenny. Of course, it was easier said than done. No matter how hard he tried, or how far away his eyes were, they always drifted back to Kenny's seat, his thoughts following soon after. After a while he just gave up and started daydreaming about Kenny. However, because Kyle didn't have much of an imagination, all he could think about were his recent and recurring dreams. He didn't try to understand why he was having them, as he often did, but focused on all the sensations that came with them, smiling as he did. His smile widened with every passing moment, as he remembered more and more of each dream, until he finally noticed what was going on in his head and crushed all those thoughts and memories into dust. He was starting to get scared by how easily his thoughts deviated, all to the same place – Kenny. He thought he was losing his mind.

"_There has to be something wrong with me... There __**must**__ be something wrong with me. This isn't normal..._"

"Kyle? Could you stop daydreaming for a second and pay attention?"  
"Y-Yes, sir. S-Sorry."  
"Busted!"

"_Cartman, I swear... You're worse than Stan._"

* * *

Back at the hospital, Kenny was undertaking a second round of X-rays, to make sure his bones were aligned properly.

"Alright, kid, just don't move in there."

"_...I hope you're not trying to be funny._"

A few minutes later, Kenny was back in his room. He could hear his doctor talking to a few other doctors, as well as the X-ray technician, but he couldn't understand their words. However, the doctor seemed agitated, which made him worried. After a while, Kenny's doctor went into the room, with a very stern look on his face.

"Kenny... I need to ask you some questions, and you have to answer me truthfully. Is that OK?"  
"Y-Yeah. Sure."  
"Are you doing any drugs besides the heroin?"  
"U-Um... A few... Sometimes cocaine, other times... Well, to tell you the truth, I don't even know what the others are called, actually."  
"Hm..."  
"I-Is there something wrong?"  
"Not at all. Your bones are almost fully healed, and your cervical collar – your neck brace – can be removed in a few hours."  
"Then what's the matter?"  
"Your recovery is... unusually quick. I won't lie to you, Kenny: you were almost dead by the time you got here. In fact, I was pretty sure you weren't going to make it. And that was just yesterday! What I'm trying to say is that... it's not normal."

"_It's probably my immortality thing... Although it has never been this way before. Maybe it's... evolving?_"

"Look, Kenny... I'm going to order some more X-rays for later today, to see how you're doing."  
"Thanks."

"_Don't thank me yet... I have no idea what the fuck is going on with you._"

In spite of Kenny's doctor's obvious concern, Kenny himself was quite happy. He was convinced that his quick recovery was due to the way his immortality worked, but, deep down, he didn't really care. The only thing that mattered was that his pain was almost gone, and his neck was feeling better as well. As the doctor left, Kenny suddenly remembered the most important question he should've asked a long time ago.

"Hey, doctor, is this tube gonna come out any time soon? I mean, with everything else improving... Also, it's **really** uncomfortable"  
"Sure. We can schedule that for the same time as the cervical collar."  
"Thanks."

* * *

Kenny spent the next two hours still trying to figure out why Kyle had left him alone. In the end, all he could come up with was that it was somehow his fault. He thought that maybe he had been unwillingly sending hints that he liked Kyle, and Kyle didn't like it. Kyle was certainly smart enough to pick up on any subconscious hints he might be sending.

"_When Kyle comes back – __**if**__ Kyle comes back – I should really try to keep it down... I don't want to lose him... I __**can't**__ lose him – I __**won't**__ lose him. I don't know what I'd do if... Dammit, cliché much? This is the kind of crap that drove Kyle away in the first place. I gotta let him go, or he's gonna let __**me**__ go._"

* * *

By the time Kyle got home, Kenny was having his neck brace removed. Kyle was still thinking about Kenny and how he had left him alone. He wanted to go back and apologize, but he knew that such a quick apology would draw attention to himself. He was also afraid of what he might do. When Kenny was around, Kyle was confident, strong; even somewhat happy. When he left, however, Kyle crashed. He felt weak, powerless and depressed. He hadn't noticed it until now, but it was undeniably true – Kenny made him feel better. More than that; Kenny made him feel unlike anything else he had ever felt before.

"_I can't believe I'm thinking about this again..._"

Kyle repeated to himself that he wasn't gay for several minutes, but he could no longer convince himself. He sat at his desk, crying, trying to figure out what to do. He could go back to Kenny and apologize, but that'd probably end in an uncomfortable silence, or worse. He could ignore it, but that would never work. He had been doing that for weeks now, maybe more, and it was clearly doing more harm than good.

"_I can't do this anymore... I have to face the truth. I'm... I'm... Dammit, I can't say it. I just... I can't._"

"Kyle?"  
"Y-Yeah, Ike?" said Kyle as he quickly wiped his tears.  
"Why are the lights off? It's dark in here."  
"I... I have a headache. Please don't turn them on."  
"Alright... I just wanted to tell you that dinner is ready."  
"Tell mom I'll be right there."  
"OK."  
"...Thanks, Ike."

Ike stood in the doorway for a while, waiting to see if his brother was going to tell him anything else, but he was soon proven wrong. After five minutes, he went downstairs to eat dinner with his family, leaving Kyle alone with his thoughts. However, Kyle's mind was empty. The sudden realization of the truth had shattered him, and now he was stuck picking up the pieces. After a while, an idea popped into his head, and he knew what he had to do.

"_I have to tell my parents... They should know what to do._"

Kyle wiped his tears one last time and took deep breaths, this time repeating to himself that he was going to tell his parents that he was gay. As soon as he sat down at the table, however, he became too nervous to say anything. Although his parents didn't notice it, Ike saw right away that something was wrong with his brother. He was jumpy, looking around nervously and his hands were shaking. If he didn't know him, Ike would've thought his brother was high on cocaine, or worse.

* * *

After dinner, Kyle went upstairs into his room, followed by Ike. At first, the red-haired boy didn't hear his brother's footsteps, but after a few "echoes", he finally realized that someone was following him. He didn't bother to turn around until the soft footsteps entered his room and hugged him. Kyle was startled by the sudden invasion of his personal space, but he recognized his brother's height and calmed himself down. A few minutes afterward, however, Kyle was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Um... Ike? Could you please let go? This is really uncomfortable."  
"Not until you promise to tell me what's going on."

In any other situation, Kyle would've told his brother to leave him alone, but he knew he wouldn't feel right unless he told someone about this. Kyle never felt right unless he told his innermost secrets to people he trusted. He needed their support, and they were more than happy to provide it.

"...Alright, Ike."

"_I hope I can trust you._"

Ike loosened his grip and sat down next to his brother, who took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Ike, I-I think... I think..."

Kyle still couldn't say it, even to his own brother, whom he trusted more than anyone else. Thankfully, he didn't have to. Ike knew his brother like the back of his hand, and there was only one thing that could have this effect on him.

"...You're gay, right?"

Kyle reacted to his brother's question by simply lowered his head. Ike hugged his brother once again, trying to comfort him, but Kyle started crying. He sobbed in his brother's arms for several minutes, until he regained his composure and once again took deep breaths to calm himself down.

"...Kyle, I'm not gonna bore you with a long conversation about sexuality. You are my brother, and I love you. Who you like doesn't matter to me, and it shouldn't matter to you either."

In response, Kyle mumbled some incomprehensible words and resumed his sobbing. Although he wasn't sure, to Ike, it sounded as if Kyle had thanked him. Of course, that didn't really matter to him. He just wanted his brother to be OK again.

"Look, Kyle, I think you should rest for now. Just go to sleep, and you'll feel better in the morning. Alright?"  
"Y-Yeah... Y-You're probably right. I-I just need to sleep."  
"I'll talk to you in the morning, bro. Get some sleep."

"_Thank you... You're a better brother than I deserve._"

Kyle put his arms around his brother and gave him a light squeeze before following his advice. After a while, he fell asleep, much to his brother's amusement and relief.

"_He's just like a little kid... Sleep well, Kyle._"

* * *

"Hey, Kyle. How are you doing today?"  
"K-Kenny?" groaned Kyle.  
"Yeah. Sorry, you kinda... slipped."

Kyle opened his eyes and found himself lying down on the same field of flowers as last time, with Kenny looking into his eyes and extending his hand. He took Kenny's hand, who immediately pulled him up and embraced him.

"Are you alright?"  
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine."  
"I'm glad." said Kenny as he smiled. "I was worried for a second there."  
"...What now?"  
"I don't know. What do you want to do?"  
"I... I want..."  
"Anything, Kyle. If you can think of it, I'll give it to you."  
"...It's not something you can give."

"_...I finally know what I want._"

With that in mind, Kyle embraced Kenny and the boys kissed for just a brief moment, but, to Kyle, it was the single most important thing he had ever done. However, when he remembered that it was only a dream, Kenny vanished into thin air, and he was alone once again. As soon as Kenny vanished, Kyle started to feel weaker, collapsing onto the ground almost immediately.

"_Can't... move... So tired... Ken..._"

"Ken..."  
"C'mon, Kyle, you know I can't get up. My leg is broken, for fuck's sake!"

"_What is this?_"

Kyle opened his eyes and found himself at the hospital, sitting next to Kenny's bed.

"I-I'm sorry, Kenny."  
"Nah, it's alright... You're tired. You should go home and rest."  
"I don't want to... I want to stay here... with you."  
"I appreciate that, buddy, but it's getting late. See?" said Kenny as he pointed at a window.

Kyle looked out of the window Kenny was pointing at, and it was true – the moon was high in the sky. When he turned around, however, he realized that he was back in his room. He woke up a few seconds after that, somewhat shaken up by the unusual experience. His dreams were usually dull and very predictable, but now they involved so many different things happening randomly that they gave him a headache. But, in the midst of all that, one thing stuck in Kyle's mind – he finally knew what he wanted above all else, and he was able to admit it to himself. He wanted Kenny. More than that; he wanted Kenny to want him back. His gut was telling him to meet Kenny at the hospital right now, in the middle of the night and, in spite of everything he had been through, he knew it was the right thing to do. He got up, got dressed, and went to the hospital on his bike.

* * *

Kyle arrived almost ten minutes after leaving his house and went straight for Kenny's room. When he got there, however, Kenny was gone. The nurses told him that he was undergoing some tests, but they didn't know where. Kyle searched the hospital for Kenny, but he gave up after a few minutes. The hospital was huge; how could he find Kenny? The smart thing to do would be to stay by his room and wait for him to come back, and so he did.

"_What should I tell him? I left him all alone here... I can't believe I did that... I'm such an idiot. Maybe I should just go home, and-_"

"Hey, Kyle."

Kyle recognized that slightly high-pitched voice anywhere. It was Kenny. He lifted his head, expecting to see his friend in a wheelchair, but, much to his surprise, Kenny was walking.

"Kenny? You're... You're OK!"  
"Yeah. The doctors have no idea what the hell's wrong with me... Or right. Whatever."  
"I'm so happy to see you right now."

Kyle got up and, in a fraction of a second, his arms were locked around Kenny, who gladly repeated the act on his smaller friend.

"Hey now, there's no reason to get all mushy. Besides, my ribs still hurt a little."  
"S-Sorry, it's just that... I was so worried."  
"Yeah, so was I. You left, and I just... I thought something had happened to you."  
"...I'm sorry I left, Kenny. I didn't... I wasn't thinking straight."  
"C'mon, let's go for a walk. I need to walk a little bit, or I'm gonna go insane. Every second in that bed was pure torture."  
"A-Alright."

Kyle instinctively reached for Kenny's hand, but he clenched his fist before reaching it and acted as if nothing had happened. When they went outside, Kenny led Kyle to a small garden in the back that had been planted specifically for the staff and patients to be able to relax. They sat down next to each other on a bench, which Kyle didn't even notice. He was once again staring at the tiny twisters of pink petals that were forming all around them, spreading the petals at their feet.

"So..." said Kenny. "How are you doing?"  
"I'm OK, I guess... You?"  
"I'm angry."  
"W-Why?"  
"Why do you think? You **left** me. I thought you were hurt, or worse. You were the only one I thought I could trust... I was lying there, barely alive, and you just left me. How could you do that? I mean, you've been acting strange lately, but that's just going too far."  
"I-I'm s-sorry, Ken... I wasn't thinking straight."  
"...I don't believe that story for a second. I'm not as stupid as you think, Kyle, so why don't you start telling the truth?"  
"I can't..."  
"The fuck you can't. Look, you know what? Forget it. I'm going back to my room."

Kenny took a few steps away from Kyle, but he stopped as soon as he heard Kyle's sobs. He didn't think he had pushed Kyle that far, but apparently he had. He sighed, disappointed by his weakness for Kyle, and went back to apologize.

"...Look, I'm s-"  
"Just get the hell away from me, Ken. I came here because I felt bad about leaving you. I see now that you don't care."  
"That's not true, and you know it. You're my friend, Kyle. Maybe my **only** friend. Anyway, what I mean is that you're really all I've got. I'm just... I'm still a little angry because you left me. Why did you do that?"  
"I can't tell you... I'm sorry..."  
"...I'm going back to my room now, Kyle. It's late."

Kenny walked away once again, but, this time, Kyle grabbed his arm and didn't let him go. Kenny turned around, waiting for an explanation, but Kyle simply slid his hand downward, toward his friend's hand, interlocking their fingers. One look at Kyle, and Kenny knew exactly what had been going on all this time. He closed the distance between himself and Kyle, who finally released his grip, and gently stroked his smaller friend's cheek. Kyle raised his head once again and gazed into Kenny's hypnotizing blue eyes for several moments, until the latter simply leaned forward and did what they were both thinking about. He put his hand on Kyle's cheek and locked their lips in a tender kiss. The feeling was intoxicating to both of them, and neither wanted to leave that position. They would've stood that way forever, if it weren't for the fact that they were both exhausted. Kenny broke the kiss after several minutes, which still didn't seem like enough time for them, and led Kyle, grabbing his hand as he did, back to his room. The boys kissed once more, this time for almost ten minutes, but it still wasn't enough, for either of them. Of course, they knew they couldn't stay together for now. It would have to wait until Kenny left the hospital. Kyle's cheek was once again stroked by Kenny, who smiled as he leaned in Kyle's direction and whispered softly into his ear.

"...I love you."

* * *

For those of you who think Kyle's acceptance was too quick (or if you're just curious), here's a short explanation about the symbolism in his dreams. Every time Kyle tried to push Kenny away (or if he simply vanished), he felt weaker. The only times he felt somewhat strong and in control was when he "cooperated", so to speak, with Kenny. The subtle message his subconscious was trying to send is "No Kenny=Bad".  
I'm gonna stop writing for a while now (exams and everything), but I'm still looking for someone to draw the covers for my stories. If you have time to do it, please PM me.


End file.
